Sam Who Never Forgets

A sister and brother walk over the hill to spend Sunday afternoon with their French-speaking grandmother. Licking spoons, milking the cow, shaking cream into butter, and setting the table are all part of the fun. Meanwhile Grammy, seemingly without effort, produces a wonderful feast for all. When their parents come to pick them up, the children look forward to the following Sunday gathering.

“The city lights/ up at night./ Going./Glowing./ Yellow/ Bright!” A family sets out for a nighttime jaunt to a street fair, against city skies that deepen from blue twilight to midnight blue, and a city skyline of clock tower, highrises, warehouses. Pictures of the crowded fair lose the family in a sea of puppet shows, magicians, musicians and clowns in a panorama that is magical and timeless. A quiet tucking in as the family comes home brings the city back to the present and familiar.

Night settles over a town and families and neighbors get ready for bed by saying goodnight — everyone except for a wide-awake cat on the rooftop who wants someone to play with.

A retelling of 10 fables by Aesop including “The Fox and the Crow,” “The Crow and the Water Jug,” and “The Lion and the Mouse.”